P.O. Box 1749 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3A5 Canada Item No. 14.1.6 Halifax Regional Council January 15, 2019 TO: SUBMITTED BY: Mayor Savage and Members of Halifax Regional Council Original Signed Jacques Dubé, Chief Administrative Officer DATE: December 1, 2018 SUBJECT: ORIGIN At the February 1, 2017 Committee of the Whole meeting the following motion was passed: THAT Halifax Regional Council direct staff to bring further information and consider options so as not to increase penalties under the Parking Meter By-law (P-500), and if necessary, recommend options that achieve a balanced budget in 2017/2018. At the February 15, 2017 Committee of the Whole meeting, the following motions were passed: (a) (b) THAT Committee of the Whole increase parking fines for other parking types only; not inclusive parking meter violations, as outlined in Option 1, Attachment D (Appendix A) of the staff report dated February 10, 2017. THAT Halifax Regional Council direct staff to prepare a supplementary report with respect to parking fine alternatives for parking in front of a bus stop, crosswalk, parking on a sidewalk, blocking a driveway, fire-lane, parking in an accessible parking spot without a permit, within (5) meters of a crosswalk, parking in an intersection, and hydrants. LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY Motor Vehicle Act, sections 292, 293 and 294. Summary Proceedings Act and Summary Offense Ticket Regulations Administrative Order One, the Procedures of Council Administrative Order, subsection 4(2) and section 142 4 (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), any one or more of the rules of procedures contained herein except for section 5 and subsections 12(5) and 59(3) may be suspended by Council, Committee of the Whole, Community Council or a Standing Committee by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3rds) of the Members present and voting. 142. After rising and reporting back to the Council, a motion arising out of matter discussed or debated at Committee of the Whole, shall be decided without amendment or debate. Recommendation on page 2
Council Report - 2 - January 15, 2019 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that Halifax Regional Council: 1. Suspend the rules of procedures under section 142 of Administrative Order One; and 2. Request the Province amend the Summary Offence Ticket Regulations to increase parking fines for other parking types only; not inclusive parking meter violations, as outlined in Option 1, Attachment D (Appendix A) of the staff report dated February 10, 2017, with the following amendment: The requested increase to the fine amounts be amended so: (a) (b) (c) all Category A (parking) offences are increased from $25.00 to $50.00 (rather than $45.00 as recommended by Committee of the Whole); all Category B (parking) offences are increased from $50.00 to $75.00 (rather than $100.00 as recommended by Committee of the Whole); and all Category C (parking) offences are increased from $100.00 to $200.00 rather than $150.00; and 3. Request the Mayor write a letter to the Province to request the required amendments to the Summary Offence Ticket Regulations. BACKGROUND On February 1, 2017, during the budget deliberations, Committee of the Whole (COW) directed staff to submit alternatives to the parking fine changes that were proposed as part of Planning and Development s base budget. The resulting report 1, dated February 10, 2017 provided two alternatives for Council s consideration. Those alternatives are attached to this report as Appendix A. On February 15, 2017, COW chose alternative 1, which included the following changes: increase fines for parking during the winter parking ban and for parking which obstructs snow removal from $50.00 to $100.00; increase fines for parking in a fire lane and in an accessible parking spot from $100.00 to $150.00; and increase Other fines from $25.00 to $45.00 (The Other fine amounts in the earlier report were not inclusive of all parking violations that are located in the Summary Offense Ticket Regulations.) COW also requested additional information be provided relative to fine alternatives for parking in front of a bus stop, crosswalk, parking on a sidewalk, blocking a driveway, fire-lane, parking in an accessible parking spot without a permit, within 5 meters of a crosswalk, parking in an intersection and within 5 metres of a fire hydrant. The purpose of this report is to seek direction from Council concerning the procedure to increase the fine amounts for the Other Parking Violation types as well as provide the requested additional information concerning fine alternatives for the specific violation types identified above. DISCUSSION Parking Meter and Other Parking Fines Parking meter violations are set by the Municipality under By-law P-500. The ticket amount for a parking meter violation is $25 for each hour of violation, with the payment reduced to $20 for for each violation 1 See report at https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/regional-council/february-15-2017-committee-whole
Council Report - 3 - January 15, 2019 where a payment is made within 7 days. Parking meter fines are not currently proposed to be changed and are separate from the Other Parking Violations that are discussed in this report. Other Parking Violations are regulated under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) with penalties for non-compliance regulated by the Summary Proceedings Act (SPA) and out of court fine amounts prescribed by the Summary Offence Ticket (SOT) Regulations. In the case of parking offences, the MVA categorizes various parking offences into three set Categories - A, B and C - with the SOT Regulations setting out corresponding ticket fines. Procedure to Change Fines The current Category A fine amount is $25.00. Violations in this category which include: Stopping or parking where prohibited by sign; Stopping or parking at bus stop or taxi stand; Stopping or parking in passenger zone or loading zone when not loading or unloading; Stopping or parking on or within 5m of a crosswalk; Stopping or parking within 5 m of a fire hydrant; Stopping or parking in intersection; Stopping or parking on sidewalk; and Stopping or parking in front of driveway, etc. The current Category B fine amount is $50.00. The violations in this category are: Parking when less than 4.5m width of roadway remains for traffic; Parking when vehicle cannot be viewed clearly from 60m away; Parking in manner that might interfere with snow removal or winter maintenance: Failing to obey a parking sign; Parking within 150m of fire apparatus stopped in response to fire alarm; and Parking vehicle contrary to temporary regulations to cover emergency or special conditions. The current Category C fine amount is $100.00. The violations in this category are: Parked on left-hand roadway of divided highway; Stopped or parked in Fire Lane; Stopping or parking in accessible-parking zone without mobility disabled identification permit; and Stopping or parking on private property marked for the use by mobility-disabled person without mobility disabled identification permit. Changes to the category under which a particular offence is listed would require an amendment to the MVA. Alternatively, changes to the fine amounts for each category require an amendment to the SOT Regulations which would require an agreement of the NS Department of Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal via a provincial Order in Council. While both approaches would have an impact province-wide and not just to HRM, staff advise that an amendment to the SOT Regulations may be more readily achieved than an amendment to the MVA. The MVA and the New Traffic Safety Act When a request for a legislative change is made by the Municipality, Regional Council typically passes a motion and the Mayor submits the request to provincial officials on Council s behalf. To date, Regional Council has not passed a motion endorsing COW s recommendation to request the needed legislative amendment. This past October, the new Traffic Safety Act, replacing the MVA, was approved by the Province. The new Act will rely heavily on regulations so that changes may be made in the future in a timelier manner. One of those regulations will prescribe the penalties for offences under the Act. The legislation will not be proclaimed until the regulations are written, and the Province plans to engage stakeholders, including HRM, to gather feedback about the proposed changes. This process is expected to take up to two years. In the interim, the MVA will remain in effect, however, it is unlikely that it will be amended, due to its impending
Council Report - 4 - January 15, 2019 replacement with the Traffic Safety Act. Jurisdictional Scan To help understand how HRM s fines compare to other jurisdictions, staff reviewed fines from fifteen Canadian municipalities 2 (Appendix B). That research indicates current fines in Halifax are generally lower than the average. For the specific offences identified in COW s motion, the following table provides a comparison of current and proposed fines to the jurisdictional average: Table 1 Parking Violation MVA Provision Current Fine Amount (if paid within 60 days) Proposed Fine Amount (if paid within 60 days) Jurisdictional Average Stopping or parking at bus stop 146 (2) $25.00 $50.00 $58.75 or taxi stand Stopping or parking on or within 143(1)(b) $25.00 $50.00 $55.87 5m of crosswalk Stopping or parking on sidewalk 143(1)(i) $25.00 $50.00 $60.19 Stopping or parking in front of 143(1)(h) $25.00 $50.00 $52.69 driveway Stopping or parking in fire lane 150(2) $100.00 $200.00 $103.00 Stopping or parking in accessible-parking zone without mobility disabled identification permit 150(3) $100.00 $200.00 $214.38 Stopping or parking in intersection Stopping or parking within 5 m of fire hydrant 143(1)(a) $25.00 $50.00 $52.20 143(1)(g) $25.00 $50.00 $62.69 Proposed Changes Staff considered the previous motions and factored in the jurisdictional scan completed since COW s original consideration of this matter. Based on the outcome of the jurisdictional scan, staff recommend Regional Council consider a different fine structure from the one that was included in the February 20, 2017 staff report and which informed COW s resulting motion on this matter. The differences between the previous COW motion and staff s current recommendation are shown below: Table 2 Category of Offence A (parking) B (parking) C (parking) Current Fine Amount (if the fine is paid within 60 days) COW Recommended Increase (if the fine is paid within 60 days) COW Recommended Increase (if paid after 60 days including Province portion of $36.60) Staff Recommended Increase (if the fine is paid within 60 days) Staff Recommended Increase (if paid after 60 days including Province portion of $36.60) Change (from COW proposal) $25.00 $45.00* $81.60 $50.00 $86.60 +$5.00 $50.00 $100.00** $136.60 $75.00 $111.60 -$25.00 $100.00 $150.00 $186.60 $200.00 $236.60 +$50.00 2 Halifax, Moncton, Fredericton, Charlottetown, St. John s, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria and Kingston.
Council Report - 5 - January 15, 2019 * Category A parking violations not included (February 2017): - Parking in a bicycle lane 143(2); - Stopping or parking in passenger zone for longer than necessary for loading or unloading 144(3); - Stopping or parking in passenger zone or loading or unloading when not loading or unloading 144(5). **Category B parking violation not included (February 2017): - Parking within 150m of fire apparatus stopped in response to fire alarm 161(1). Should Regional Council decide to adopt the fine structure recommended by staff, the rule under Administrative Order One preventing Council from amending a recommendation from Committee of the Whole (section 142) must be suspended. Should Council adopt the staff recommendation, the Mayor will submit a request to the province on Council s behalf for the requested changes to the Summary Offense Ticket Regulations. Staff s recommended changes have been incorporated in Appendix B. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS The preparation of the request for the Province to amend the Summary Offence Ticket Regulations can be carried out within proposed Planning & Development and Government Relations & External Affairs 2018-19 budgets and existing resources. In recent years - 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 - total annual parking fine revenues averaged $3.9 million. However, in 2017-18, while transitioning from contracted to in-house parking compliance services, revenues dropped to $2.8 million. By increasing the fine amounts as outlined in the staff recommendation, current revenues could increase by as much as 50% to 60%, after the new fines come into force. RISK CONSIDERATION Should the province accept the requested changes, there will be a province-wide impact to the fine amounts. If the province does not accept the proposed changes, the revenue stream will remain the same. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Community engagement is not applicable to this report. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS No environmental implications have been identified. ALTERNATIVES 1. Regional Council could request that the Province amend the fines as recommended by Committee of the Whole on February 15, 2017.Staff does not recommend this alternative as an amendment to both the Motor Vehicle Act and the Summary Offense Ticket Regulations would be required. 2. Regional Council could request the Province to amend the Motor Vehicle Act to permit the municipality to create a by-law for all parking violations. This is not recommended as this provision exists in the new Traffic Safety Act, which will replace the Motor Vehicle Act once it is proclaimed. The Municipality will provide input on this matter as the corresponding regulations for the Traffic Safety Act are developed, though the legislation does not allow the establishment of offences and penalties to exceed any limit prescribed by the regulations.
Council Report - 6 - January 15, 2019 ATTACHMENTS Appendix A: Attachment D of COW Report February 15, 2017 Appendix B: Parking Violations Jurisdictional Scan Summary A copy of this report can be obtained online at halifax.ca or by contacting the Office of the Municipal Clerk at 902.490.4210. Report Prepared by: Andrea MacDonald, Program Manager License Standards 902.490.7371 Report Approved by: Penny Henneberry, Manager, Buildings & Compliance 902.579.0250 Financial Approval by: Jane Fraser, Director of Finance, Asset Management & ICT, CFO 902.490.4630 Report Approved by: Kelly Denty, Director, Planning and Development 902.490.4800
Appendix A: Attachment D of COW Report February 15, 2017 On February 1, 2017, Planning and Development presented a draft budget that meets Council s preliminary fiscal direction. That proposed budget included an increase to parking violation fines, including meter violations. Subsequently the Committee directed staff to bring further information and consider options so as not to increase penalties under the Parking Meter By-law (P-500), and if necessary, recommend options that achieve a balanced budget in 2017/2018. Service implications and/or impact on Priority Two options are offered for Halifax Regional Council s consideration: 1. Increase parking fines for other parking types only; not inclusive of parking meter violations. Parking fines would increase across other ranges of parking types only to include: Parking Violation Type Current fine Proposed fine Winter Ban / Obstructing snow Violations $50 $100 Fire Lane / Accessible Parking Violations $100 $150 Other parking violations $25 $45 Parking Meter violations would be reviewed at a later date and would coincide with parking technology improvements that would begin implementation within the upcoming fiscal year. 2. Increase parking fines for all parking types. Parking fines would increase across all ranges of parking types to include: Parking Violation Type Current fine Proposed fine Parking Meter Tickets (By-law P-500) $25 $30 Winter Ban / Obstructing snow Violations $50 $100 Fire Lane / Accessible Parking Violations $100 $150 Other parking violations $25 $45 The three-year average (2014-2016) collection rate for parking tickets issued is 83% per calendar year. The two proposed options incorporate parking fine projections with this collection rate considered. Therefore, ratification of one of the proposed options for increases to parking fine violations will meet the $1,535,000 revenue target built into Planning & Development s base budget for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019.
OTHER PARKING VIOLATIONS Parking Violation Fine Amount Effective July 1, 2006 Proposed Parking Increase No Parking Zone $25.00 $45.00 Parked in Bus Stop $25.00 $45.00 Parked in Loading Zone $25.00 $45.00 Parked During Winter Ban $25.00 $45.00 Parked Overtime Specified $50.00 $100.00 On Crosswalk $25.00 $45.00 Within 5m of Hydrant $25.00 $45.00 Within 10m Stop Sign $25.00 $45.00 Less than 7.5m of Corner $25.00 $45.00 Private Property $25.00 $45.00 Wrong Side of Street $25.00 $45.00 On Highway over 24hrs $25.00 $45.00 150mm of curb $25.00 $45.00 On Sidewalk $25.00 $45.00 Blocking Driveway $25.00 $45.00 For Sale on Highway $25.00 $45.00 Vehicle Left Running $25.00 $45.00 Double Parked $25.00 $45.00 No Stopping Sign $25.00 $45.00 Leaving under 3m for Traffic $25.00 $45.00 Obstructing Snow Removal $50.00 $100.00 Fire Lane $100.00 $150.00 Accessible Parking $100.00 $150.00 Accessible Parking Private Property $100.00 $150.00 Within 5m of Crosswalk $25.00 $45.00 Street Cleaning $25.00 $45.00 Illegally Parked by a Bus or Taxi $25.00 $45.00 Parked Commercial Vehicle over 2hr $25.00 $45.00 Creating Obstruction at Excavation $25.00 $45.00 Parked on Left Hand Side of Divided Hwy $100.00 $150.00 Parked on Highway without Clear Width $25.00 $45.00 Brakes Not Set $25.00 $45.00 Parked in an Intersection $25.00 $45.00 Within 5m Fire Station Driveway $25.00 $45.00 Loading over 30 min $25.00 $45.00 Leaving less Than 3m in an Alley $25.00 $45.00 Within 15m of Nearest Railway Crossing $25.00 $45.00 Displaying Advertising $25.00 $45.00 Obstructing View at Crest of Grade $25.00 $45.00 Wheels Not Cut $25.00 $45.00 Parallel with Edge of Roadway $25.00 $45.00
Parking Violation (Category A, Current Fine Amount $25) Appendix B: Parking Violations Jurisdictional Scan Summary MVA Provision Proposed Fine Amount 1 Jurisdictional Scan Average Parked Commercial Vehicle over 2 hours Parking commercial vehicle on highway for longer than 2 consecutive hours 155(2) $50.00 $46.67 Parked While Displaying Advertising Parking vehicle on highway for displaying advertising 159(2) $50.00 $49.67 Parked Overtime Specified Failing to obey parking sign 151 $50.00 $50.38 Parked with Brakes Not Set Failing to set brakes and stop motor of parked vehicle 160(1) $50.00 $52.00 Parked with Wheels Not Cut Failing to turn front wheels to curb when parked on grade 160(1) $50.00 $52.00 Parked While Vehicle Left Running Failing to set brakes and stop motor of parked vehicle 160(1) $50.00 $52.50 Parked Blocking Driveway 143(1)(h) $50.00 $52.69 Stopping or parking in front of driveway Parking 150 mm of curb Stopping or parking vehicle other than parallel or with curb-side wheels more than 150 mm from edge 156(1) $50.00 $52.92 of roadway Parked in Loading Zone Stopping or parking in passenger zone or loading zone when not loading or unloading 144(5) $50.00 $54.29 Parked Less than 7.5m of corner Stopping or parking within 7.5 m of intersection of curb lines 143(1)(d) $50.00 $54.82 Double Parked Stopping or parking on roadway side of other stopped or parked vehicle 143(1)(k) $50.00 $54.82 Parked Within 10m Stop Sign Stopping or parking within 10 m of traffic sign or signal (specify) 143(1)(e) $50.00 $55.30 Parked Within 5m of Crosswalk Stopping or parking on or within 5 m of crosswalk 143(1)(b) $50.00 $55.87 Parked on Private Property Parking on private property without consent of owner 149(1) $50.00 $55.91 1 Amount of fine if paid within 60 days. 1 of 4
No Parking Zone Stopping or parking between safety zone and adjacent curb or within 10 m of safety zone Parked Parallel with Edge of Roadway Stopping or parking vehicle other than parallel or with curb-side wheels more than 150 mm from edge of roadway Parked Leaving under 3 metres for Traffic Stopping or parking in business or residence area when less than 3 m width of roadway remains for traffic Parked in Loading Zone topping or parking in loading zone for longer than 30 minutes Parked Obstructing View at Crest of Grade Stopping or parking on crest of grade where view obstructed Parked Within 15m of Nearest Railway Crossing Stopping or parking within 15 m of railway crossing Parked in an Intersection Stopping or parking in intersection Illegally Parked by a Bus or Taxi Stopping or parking at bus stop or taxi stand Parked in Bus Stop Stopping or parking at bus stop or taxi stand Parked Within 5m Fire Station Driveway Stopping or parking within 5 m of fire station driveway Parked on Sidewalk Stopping or parking on sidewalk Parked Leaving Less Than 3m in an Alley Parking in alley when less than 3 m width of roadway remains for traffic Parked on Wrong Side of Street Stopping or parking vehicle in direction other than direction of traffic Parked Creating Obstruction Excavation Stopping or parking where traffic would be obstructed Parked Where No Stopping Sign Stopping or parking where prohibited by sign Parked Within 5m of Hydrant Stopping or parking within 5 m of fire hydrant 143(1)(c) $50.00 $56.08 156(1) $50.00 $56.14 148(1) $50.00 $56.57 144(4) $50.00 $56.67 143(1)(n) $50.00 $56.67 143(1)(m) $50.00 $56.88 143(1)(a) $50.00 $57.20 146(2) $50.00 $57.27 146(2) $50.00 $58.75 143(1)(f) $50.00 $59.44 143(1)(i) $50.00 $60.19 148(2) $50.00 $60.83 156(1) $50.00 $61.18 143(1)(j) $50.00 $62.09 143(1)(l) $50.00 $62.33 143(1)(g) $50.00 $62.69 2 of 4
Parked for Sale on Highway Parking vehicle on highway for displaying advertising 159(1) $50.00 $69.22 Parked When Street Cleaning Stopping or parking where prohibited by sign 143(1)(l) $50.00 $74.44 Parked for Loading over 30 minutes Stopping or parking in loading zone for longer than 30 minutes 144(4) $50.00 $74.44 Parked on Highway over 24 hours Parking vehicle on highway for longer than 24 hours Other Category A Violations (in MVA) 155(1) $50.00 $88.33 Parking in a bicycle lane 143(2) $50.00 n/a Stopping or parking in passenger zone for longer than necessary for loading or unloading 144(3) $50.00 n/a Stopping or parking in passenger zone or loading or unloading when not loading or unloading 144(5) $50.00 n/a Parking Violation (Category B, Current Fine Amount $50) MVA Provision Proposed Fine Amount Jurisdictional Scan Average Parked on highway without clear width Parking when less than 4.5 m width of roadway remains for traffic Parked During Winter Ban Failing to comply with temporary regulations to cover emergencies or special conditions Parking That Obstructs Snow Removal Parking in manner that might interfere with snow removal or winter maintenance 138(1) $75.00 $54.17 202 $75.00 $65.42 139(1) $75.00 $74.44 Parking within 150m of fire apparatus stopped in response to fire alarm 161(1) $75.00 n/a Parking when vehicle cannot be viewed clearly from 60km away 138(1) $75.00 n/a Failing to obey a parking sign 151 $75.00 n/a Parking Violation (Category C, Current Fine Amount $100) MVA Provision Proposed Fine Amount Jurisdictional Scan Average Parked on Left Hand Side of Divided Highway Parking on left-hand roadway of divided highway Parked in Fire Lane Stopping or parking in fire lane 112(1)(a) $200.00 $62.78 150(2) $200.00 $103.00 3 of 4
Parked in Accessible Parking Stopping or parking in accessible-parking zone without mobility-disabled identification permit 150(3) $200.00 $214.38 Parked in Accessible Parking on Private Property Stopping or parking on private property marked for use by mobility-disabled person without mobilitydisabled identification permit 150(4) $200.00 $218.00 4 of 4